Anne of Green Gables

With all of the pluck and charm of its eponymous young hero, Rachel McAdams (The Notebook, Spotlight, Midnight in Paris) delivers a spectacular reading of Montgomery's beloved bildungsroman. In moments both funny and bittersweet, McAdams' voice is imbued with the spark that has made Anne a much-loved symbol of individualism and cheer for over a century.

The Railway Children

In this classic children's book by E. Nesbit, three children are suddenly uprooted from their happy suburban life to move to the country with their mother. Their new house, "Three Chimneys", is near a railway line, and Roberta (Bobbie), Peter and Phyllis (Phil), find amusement in watching the trains and waving to the passengers. They become friendly with Albert Perks, the station porter, and with the Old Gentleman who regularly takes the 9:15 down train. The children get involved in all kinds of good deeds, while their mother is busy writing children books.

Little Women itself “has been read as a romance or as a quest, or both. It has been read as a family drama that validates virtue over wealth.”
Little Women has been read “as a means of escaping that life by women who knew its gender constraints only too well.” Alcott “combines many conventions of the sentimental novel with crucial ingredients of Romantic children's fiction, creating a new form of which
Little Women is a unique model.”

Mansfield Park

At the tender age of 10, Fanny Price is 'adopted' by her rich relations and is removed from the poverty of her home in Portsmouth to the opulence of Mansfield Park. The transplantation is not a happy one. Dependent, helpless, neglected and forgotten, Fanny struggles to come to terms with her new life until, tested almost to the limits of endurance, she assumes her righful role...

Charlotte's Web

Since its publication in 1952,
Charlotte's Web has become one of America's best-loved children's books. For fifty years, this timeless tale of how a little girl named Fern, with the help of a friendly spider, saved her pig Wilbur from the usual fate of nice fat little pigs has continued to warm the hearts of readers everywhere. Now this classic, a 1953 Newbery Honor book, comes to life in a delightful unabridged recording, read lovingly by the author himself.

The Secret Garden

Mary Lennox, a spoiled, ill-tempered, and unhealthy child, comes to live with her reclusive uncle in Misselthwaite Manor after the death of her parents. With the help of a robin, Mary finds the door to a secret garden, neglected and hidden for years. When she decides to restore the garden in secret, the story becomes a charming journey into the places of the heart, where faith restores health, flowers refresh the spirit, and the magic of the garden brings happiness to Mary.

Swallows and Amazons: Swallows and Amazons Series, Book 1

For anyone who loves sailing and adventure, Arthur Ransome's classic Swallows and Amazons series stands alone. Originally published over a half-century ago, the twelve books are still eagerly read by children and adults alike – by all those captivated by the world of adventure and imagination. Such longevity is not only due to Ransome’s unparalleled gift of storytelling, but also his championing of qualities such as independence and initiative; virtues that appeal to every generation, whether young or old.

Sense and Sensibility

When Mrs. Dashwood is forced by an avaricious daughter-in-law to leave the family home in Sussex, she takes her three daughters to live in a modest cottage in Devon. For Elinor, the eldest daughter, the move means a painful separation from the man she loves, but her sister Marianne finds in Devon the romance and excitement which she longs for.

The Enchanted Wood

Enid Blyton's much loved The Faraway Tree stories read by Kate Winslet are now available as unabridged audio downloads for the first time. The Enchanted Wood is the first wonderful story in the Faraway Tree series by the world's best-loved children's author, Enid Blyton. When Joe, Beth and Frannie move to a new home, they discover an Enchanted Wood just outside their doorstep. Soon they find the Faraway Tree, which is the beginning of many magical adventures...

Billionaire Boy

Joe has a lot of reasons to be happy. About a billion of them, in fact. You see, Joe's rich. Really, really rich. Joe's got his own bowling alley, his own cinema, even his own butler who is also an orang-utan. He's the wealthiest 12-year-old in the land. But Joe isn't happy. Why not? Because he's got a billion pounds… and not a single friend.

The Light Years: Cazalet Chronicle, Volume 1

The tangled lives of three generations evoke a vanished world in this, the first volume of the Cazalet Chronicle. Home Place, Sussex, 1937. The English family at home.... For two unforgettable summers they gathered together, safe from the advancing storm clouds of war. In the heart of the Sussex countryside these were still sunlit days of childish games, lavish family meals and picnics on the beach.

Persuasion

Anne Elliot has grieved for seven years over the loss of her first love, Captain Frederick Wentworth. But events conspire to unravel the knots of deceit and misunderstanding in this beguiling and gently comic story of love and fidelity.

The Jane Austen BBC Radio Drama Collection: Six BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisations

A collection of BBC radio full-cast dramatisations of Jane Austen's six major novels. Jane Austen is one of the finest writers in the English language, and this volume includes all six of her classic novels.
Mansfield Park: on a quest to find a position in society, Fanny Price goes to live with her rich aunt and uncle.
Northanger Abbey: young, naïve Catherine Morland receives an invitation to stay at the isolated Gothic mansion Northanger Abbey.

Pride and Prejudice

One of Jane Austen’s most beloved works, Pride and Prejudice, is vividly brought to life by Academy Award nominee Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl). In her bright and energetic performance of this British classic, she expertly captures Austen’s signature wit and tone. Her attention to detail, her literary background, and her performance in the 2005 feature film version of the novel provide the perfect foundation from which to convey the story of Elizabeth Bennett, her four sisters, and the inimitable Mr. Darcy.

Sheltering Rain

On Coronation night the ex-pat community in Hong Kong gathers for a celebration party, and 21-year-old Joy falls in love at first sight. She is engaged within 24 hours, but will not see her fiancé again for a year. Fifteen years later, when Sabine, her mother and grandmother are brought together, not only a deeply buried family secret is discovered, but also some fundamental truths: about the conflict between love and duty, about women's choices, and about mothers and daughters.

The Handmaid's Tale

The Republic of Gilead offers Offred only one function: to breed . If she deviates, she will, like dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness. But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire - neither Offred's nor that of the two men on which her future hangs....

The Magic Faraway Tree

Enid Blyton's much loved The Faraway Tree stories read by Kate Winslet are now available as unabridged audio downloads for the first time. The Magic Faraway Tree is the second magical story in the Faraway Tree series by the world's best-loved children's author, Enid Blyton. When Joe, Beth and Frannie move to a new home, they discover an Enchanted Wood just outside their doorstep. Soon they find the Faraway Tree, which is the beginning of many magical adventures...

Publisher's Summary

Historic Prince Edward Island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence is the scene of this charming romance, which has captivated generations of readers young and old. Anne, the orphan child who brings happiness and love into the lives of her foster parents, is one of the most beloved heroines in all literature. But life was not kind to her at the start of her great adventure. For when Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, living alone, decided to adopt a child from the local orphanage, they asked for a boy. Their dismay and disappointment were great when a lonely, pathetic little girl was sent by mistake. At first Marilla was determined that Anne must be returned at once to the orphanage, but kindly, warm-hearted Matthew urged that she be given a chance to prove herself. The challenge laid down for this 11-year-old girl - and the mishaps that befall her before she can win the heart of her foster mother - make up the theme of this stirring tale.

The woman who reads this book has a monotone, expressionless way of reading. My 11 year old daughter says she sounds like a robot. She puts no emphasis in sentences and makes it very hard to listen to. It speaks to the quality of the writing that my children are willing to persevere with this audio book. They are interested in the story and want to find out what happens to Anne, but they have to work hard to distinguish characters and follow the plot.

While it is true that Lucy Maude Montgomery's first Anne book is charming and delightful and will produce any number of thrills and laughs, Susan O'Malley doesn't do the book justice.
I've been reading Anne every few years since I was myself not quite eleven. As such, I am conscious of a few words read wrong.
For just one example, in the affair of the Amethyst Brooch, the trees and fields vainly await Anne's "usual" greeting, but O'Malley misreads it as Anne's "unusual" greeting. Slip-ups like these may not bother the first-time listener, but I was sorely disappointed. I shall get my next Anne audiobook from a different reader for certain.
I would advise another author for this fine tale; Audible provides a wide range of Anne readings for you.

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

Jessica

North Vancouver, BC, Canada

30/05/05

Overall

"Great story; poor narration"

I was disappointed to hear such a dry narration of this fantasic book by L.M. MOntgomery. Anne of Green Gables is my all time favourite childhood story of an orphan girl with irrepressible imagination, spirit, and a nack for mishaps mixed with heroism. This books needs a bubbly, energetic, passionate narrator. Too bad the publishers of this audiobook chose a reader with a dry monotone voice. I would prefer to read the story to my daughter myself to recapture the true whimsy and delight of the red-headed Anne that this narrator has left behind.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

Gary

Kenosha, WI, USA

26/02/04

Overall

"Enchanting"

My family (kids aged 11 and 9) listened to this book on a cross-country trip and enjoyed every minute of it. This is an excellent story, wonderfully written and read.

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

Tamela

Fort Scott, KS, USA

21/08/08

Overall

"Enjoyable"

I loved the movies but have thoroughly enjoyed the narrated book. The narrator seems to be just what I would expect from the characters.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Leslie Grey McCawley

01/06/05

Overall

"Outstanding narration and delightful character"

Anne is one of the most intelligent, earnest, funny, imaginative, poignant and wonderful little girls in literature, and I am so glad to have found her! The setting and era are very interesting, and this narrator is excellent and a joy to listen to. I highly recommend this book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Barbara

Durham, NC, United States

02/10/10

Overall

Performance

Story

"Happy Nostalgia"

What is there to say about a book that helped me feel that my quirks and oddities weren't so odd? The lovely sweetness of that red-haired orphan has stayed with me ever since. This reading is a perfect look into a time that no longer exists but for which we long,

A wonderful book for a road trip with young girls.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

18/06/10

Overall

"Anne of Green Gables"

This book is my daughters favorite - she just loves the story - how it is written and the narrator...who is fantastic. Its so great to have such a classic tale. It is listened to again and again

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Andrea

Baton Rouge, LA, United States

18/05/10

Overall

"Full of mistakes!"

Very disappointed with this narrator. Many "verbal typos"! At one point, Anne even seems to refer to Matthew Cuthbert as "no good" when she actually said "so good". Just one of the many mistakes that made it impossible for me to finish listening!

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Terri Jones

15/03/07

Overall

"Can't go wrong..."

Perfect for a family road trip...

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Melissa

ViennaAustria

15/07/08

Overall

"the turn-off voice"

I was so excited to share my favorite childhood tale with my children during our drives that I hurriedly bought this book. I should have listened first! I kept my negative first impressions of the narration to myself, but both of my children, 8 & 10 commented, "I don't like the voice" and "can you return it" and "can Natasha (from Storynory) read it"?

I will still give it a try, but in the end they made me feel better for possibly wasting the money buy saying, "Mommy, we would rather you read it!"

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

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